Carpet-stretcher



UNrTn STATES JAMES C. KELLSEY, OF MIDDLETOVN, CONNECTICUT.

CARPET-STRETCH ER.

SPECIFICATION fOrming part of Letters Patent No. 295,018, dated March 11, 1884.

Application filed January 14, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMEs C. KELLsEY, of Middletown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Carpet-Stretchers; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in .connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure l, a side view, Fig. 2, a top view.

This invention relates to an improvement in a device to aid in laying carpet, `commonly called carpet-stretchers ,77 and the invention consists in the construction, as hereinafter described, and more particularly recited in the claims. f

The device consists of a pair of j aws, a b, attached, respectively, to levers d e, crossing each other, and hinged at f in like 4manner as a pair of pinchers, the arms g h., respectively, ofthe levers diverging from the hinged point, as seen in Fig. 1. Around these arms is a loop, t', movable thereon toward and from the hinge, and so that as it is moved toward the hinge, as seen in broken lines, Fig. l, the jaws may be opened; but when drawn away from the hinge it closes the jaws, as shown. From this loop an arm, Z, extends outward o r away from' the pivot, and to the end of this arm a lever,

m, is hung, its lower end fitted with a segment In the lever at its point of connec tion with the arm Z is a slot, a, the end of the arm l is slotted, and the lever stands in this slot. A pin, o, through theslot in the arm Z, and through the slot a inthe lever, makes a hinge-like engagement between the loop and lever, and on which the lever may turn. Upon the under side of the arm h, at or near its end, is one or more sharp spikes, p, projecting downward.

To use the stretcher the carpet is folded backward, so as to give space between the Wall and the carpet to apply the stretcher, the jaws a b are placed upon the doubled carpet, the loop t' having been moved toward the pivot,

as seen in broken lines, to permit them to open. Then the loop is drawn forward by hand, so as to cause 'the jaws to grip the carpet. Then the lower or spiked Lend of the lever is -engaged with the iloor, as seen in broken lines, the pin o being at the upper end ofthe slot n in the lever m. Now, as the workman turns the lever forward, it draws the loop 'i onto the arms g h, forcing the grip upon the carpet, and at the same time draws the carpet toward the lever. The harder the strain by the lever the closer is the grip of the jaws. As the operation commences with the stud o near the upper end of the slot a, the leverage there is the lightest; but as the lever is turned forward the pin o will gradually work down the slot, so that as the strain increases the power correspondingly increases. Vhen the proper strain has been applied to the carpet, the workman, with his foot upon the apparatus, presses downward to drive the spike p into the floor to hold the stretch which has been applied, and until the operator can drive a tack through the carpet behind the jaws, for the purpose of taking another hold, or tohold the carpet untilhe can tack it at the edge. The several spurs of the segment on the end of the lever serve to successively take hold upon the floor as the lever is turned.

I am aware that a pair of hinged jaws with a device for closing them upon the carpet, combined with a lever to apply stretching power to the jaws, is well known. I therefore do not claim, broadly, such a device; but

Vhat I do claim is- 1. The combination of the jaws a b,attached, respectively, to levers d e, crossing each other and' hinged together, the levers beyond the hinge having arms g h, a loop, z', around the arms, a lever, m, hung to said loop, said lever tted with a spur to engage the door as a fulcrum, and the arm h, constructed with one or more spikes, p, substantially as and `for the purpose described.

2. The combination of the j awsa b, attached, respectively, to levers d e, crossing each other andv hingedv together, the levers beyond the hinge having arms g 71., a loop, i, around said arms, with a lever, m, constructed with a slot, n, through which slot connection is made with said loop, substantially as described.

JAMES C. KELLSEY.

C. AKELLsEY, F. D. KnLLsnY. 

